A conventional swaging device for attaching a suture to a surgical needle typically has a pair of dies (see, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,350,373, 5,394,971, 5,462,543 and 5,608,962). In operation, the dies are pressed against each other so as to compress (i.e., swage) a mounting end of an associated surgical needle and suture placed therebetween, thereby attaching the suture to the needle.
The dies of this type of swaging device have a predetermined size and shape specifically corresponding to a preselected size and/or type of surgical needles, as well as a preselected size and/or type of surgical sutures. Surgical needles are available in many varying sizes (e.g., different outer diameters and suture hole sizes) and types (e.g., mechanically drilled needles, laser-drilled needles, punched-channel needles, open-channel needles and pre-closed-channel needles). Surgical sutures are also available in many different sizes and types (e.g., monofilament sutures and braided sutures). As a result, this type of swaging device requires numerous sets of dies for many different sizes and types of needles and/or sutures. Accordingly, in order to swage a needle having a different size, a previously mounted die set typically needs to be removed from an associated press and replaced with a die set which corresponds to the new needle size, thereby rendering the operation of the swaging device inefficient.
Japanese Pat. Publication No. 8238251 A discloses a swaging device having a pair of opposing swage blocks. Each of the blocks includes a swage surface and a projecting portion extending from the swage surface in dimension less than that of an associated needle. One of the blocks is movable, while the other one is stationary. In operation, the movable block moves towards the stationary block in a direction perpendicular to the swage surfaces until the projecting portions come in contact with the swage surfaces of the opposing blocks, thereby partially swaging the needle positioned between the blocks. The movable block is then moved in another direction and thereby completes the swaging operation. Because this swaging device performs a swaging operation in two separate steps, its operation is inefficient.
Other types of swaging devices are known (see, for instances, Russian Patent Publication Nos. 727305, 867503, 940996, 1003988 and 1426689). It is, however, believed that these devices are not adapted for efficient and universal use in connection with various types and sizes of surgical needles and/or sutures.